Simon Oldridge from Man Plus Hatchet talks about what it takes to move from an account handler to an agency owner. http://manplushatchet.com
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to own your own agency? Perhaps you’ve been working in agency account management a while and fancy having your own agency to manage?
Well if the thought has ever crossed your mind, you are currently in the process of setting it up or if you’ve already taken the leap, then this interview may be interesting for you.
Simon Oldridge is Managing Partner of London-based ad agency Man Plus Hatchet. Simon set the agency up just over two years ago after a career in account management.
In this interview Simon talks about:
* What made him go from a Senior Account Director working for Publicis to setting up in business for himself
* How he got into account management in the first place
* Why he needed experience running his own accounts before setting up on his own
* What softer skills you need to be an excellent account handler – and whether these skills can be learned
* What fatal mistakes account handlers can make in a client meeting
* The key steps you need to take to set up your own business
* What it’s like to run your own business
* What you need to understand from a financial perspective about setting up on your own
* The skills you need to run an agency
* Why running your own agency can feel like a constant fight
* The best bits about running your own agency
* The one piece of advice he’d give to anyone wanting to set up on their own
So would you like to set up on your own? Perhaps you already have? Would you like to share your story? I’d be delighted to hear from you!
